I'd like to point out that ESPN is able to quantify its audience
almost exactly.   So,  if they showed car racing instead of a college hockey
semi-final,  that says something about the college hockey audience  --  at
least how many of us there are.   What is a little less precise is the
degree of passion with which the college hockey audience approaches a
broadcast.   Perhaps if,  from a marketing standpoint,  a potential audience
is measured by the product of its numbers times its passion,  then we'd
have something.   And perhaps advertisers are already onto that line of
reasoning.   Saturday's finals did not seem to lack a wide variety of
quality advertisers.   In fact,  there were almost as many as for some *other*
sports!
 
        I'd also like to echo something Dave Hendrickson said.   A few years
back Bob Norton was prone to giving tactics lectures as part of his color
commentary.   I really liked that.   Two that stood out were his campaign
against wrap-around attempts (better to move it quickly in front,  step to
the corner of the net,  and slam in the rebound) and his lectures on
face-offs in the defensive end.   In the latter,  he would expound,  winning
the draw is very important,  but not *the* most important thing.   The MOST
important thing,  regardless of what happens in the draw,  is to tie up
your man.   Gosh,  was that ever prophetic!!!   I've never gone wrong
applying a Norton lecture to talks with my kids on how to play the game.
 
        -- Dick Tuthill